Good Bugs?

HewesHort · #1 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 12:35 AM

i was wondering what bugs were beneficial to vivariums. i know spring tails and rollie polies are good, but are there any others? and how does one acquire them?

also what bugs are harmful?

beckdg · #2 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 01:54 AM

holy crap hewe... everyone likes to give you credit

don't forget worms... not bugs, i know... snails... slugs... also depends on the animal... if it is rare enough it may carry it's own helper bugs

HewesHort · #3 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 11:53 AM

thanks beck! what kind of worms? i would be concerned that snails will eat my plants, or is there a different kind?

as far as acquiring them, should i just go out in my yard and grab some rollie pollies and worms?

kyryah · #4 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 01:08 PM

I like redworms in my tank. I also use slugs, and snails. If you feed them greens like dandelion or kale they leave the plants alone, in my experience.

I catch my own rollie pollies and put them in my tank, but I buy my worms at the pet supply. They are $3.99 for 20 here, but I have a colony now, so I don't have to buy them anymore. I breed them in an 18 gallon rubbermaid, and feed them kitchen scraps (left over produce from feeding my torts and iguana!)

You can "purify" snails. Put them in a margerine tub with cornmeal in the bottom, with a smaller bowl of water in the middle. Seal it and leave them for a week. Their feces should be yellow and they will be "clean." Works with slugs, too.

Kristina

Chu'Wuti · #5 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 02:16 PM

Heweshort, the worms are Eisenia fetida, aka red wigglers. They're often used for home organics composting.

Don't use earthworms--they have higher mineral requirements than the Eisenia do. Also, the Eisenia secrete something that kills pathogenic bacteria, which is beneficial for your ecosystem as a whole.

You can learn more about red wigglers in the book "Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Appelhof.

kyryah · #6 (**permalink**) 03-14-2009, 03:34 PM

Here is a great site about composting redworms -

nyc compost project: indoor composting with a worm bin

Kristina

HewesHort · #7 (**permalink**) 03-15-2009, 02:22 PM

Thanks for the replies! i didnt realize they were the same worms used for composting, a friend of mine has a huge worm bin, maybe i can get a couple from him for my tank. ill get some rollie polies from some of my plants today, will they harm my FBTs if they eat them?

Nate-87 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 04:28 PM

shouldn't hurt your RBT, i have fed isopods to many different animals.

-Nate

paulypaul · #9 (**permalink**) 04-17-2009, 05:36 PM

what are rollie polies?

Lasher · #10 (**permalink**) 04-18-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulypaul

what are rollie polies?

I was wondering that myself, I assumed its an americanism for woodlice since no one has mentioned these wonderfull vivarium custodians thus far in this thread?